In the past, adjacent sections of carpeting have been joined by sewing them together. In recent years it has been found to be more efficient to make a permanent seam between abutting edges of carpeting by means of a suitable tape which is coated with adhesive, referred to as hot-melt adhesive, that is capable of being converted to the molten state by an electrically-heated iron. In one method of forming the seam, known as face-seaming, the edges to be joined are brought into abutting engagement above a seaming tape that has an upwardly facing ribbon of adhesive provided thereon. The heated sole plate of an electrically-heated iron is inserted between the tape and the carpet edges with the sole plate in engagement with the tape. The iron is then moved along the tape at such a speed that the adhesive behind the trailing edge of the iron is in a molten condition ready to receive and adhesively join the lower surfaces of the carpet with the edges in abutting relation. Apparatus for carrying out the above method is disclosed in each of the patents to Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,176, Bucher, U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,436, and Prater, U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,298.
The present invention relates to the art of seaming of carpets and to apparatus for carrying out such procedures. More particularly it concerns a template which may be used in carpet seaming to give the abutting edges of the carpet complementary configurations such that, when the seam has been completed, the pile of the carpet will substantially hide the line of juncture.
Traditionally, in seaming of two pieces of carpet, the opposed edges that are to be brought into abutting contact are cut along straight lines so that the juncture line between the carpet sections will be a straight line. Such a procedure has, of course, been generally successful. However, under certain conditions, the straight seam can be detected by one looking down on the carpet. Also, it has been found that, when a carpet section having sections joined by a straight seam is stretched, the seam raises upward slightly in an action known as peaking. This action is illustrated in FIG. 6 where carpet sections C.sub.1 and C.sub.2 are secured to a seaming tape T.sub.1 along a straight-line juncture line JL. Such a raised seam is visually detectable under some conditions and, during normal use, the seam areas become worn quicker than the adjacent areas of the carpet. It is an object of the invention to provide a method of seaming carpeting which results in a seam that will not "peak" during installation and is substantially hidden by the pile of carpet.
In one embodiment of the invention, a novel template is used in the cutting of curved lines on the surfaces of two carpet sections near the edges of the sections to provide the carpet sections with scalloped edges having curved or serpentine configurations. The configuration of one edge is complementary to that of the other edge so that the crests of one scalloped edge can interlace in the troughs of the other edge and thus permit the edges to be brought against each other in close abutting relation. Accordingly, the juncture line formed by the edges is not a straight line but extends along a winding path that is arcuate or serpentine in configuration. It has been found that, when carpet edges are prepared and cut in the above manner the juncture line of the seam criss-crosses the longitudinal centerline of the seaming tape, providing strength instead of the usual weakness of a straight seam, and eliminates the peaking resulting from a straight seam hinging upwardly. Sections of other articles such as belts, have been joined by the abutment of edges which are not straight so that the joinder line is not straight. However, in each case, the purpose of the particular non-straight configuration of the seam line has been to provide strength, or some other physical characteristic. It has never been to hide the seam and, accordingly, the seams are visible. Some patents that disclose various articles having seamed joints are the patents to Clemons, U.S. Pat. No. 766,930, to Miller at al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,391,731, to Leffler, U.S. Pat. No. 1,303,687. None of these patents concern carpets, the joining of carpet seams, or the problem of peaking encountered during carpet installation.